Overview of Services

The Department of Pharmacy provides systems-based services including drug and disease state information, drug preparation and distribution, and dosage monitoring services for all patients. All physician orders/prescriptions for medications are reviewed by a clinical pharmacist for appropriateness of therapy and entered into a pharmacy database. This database provides clinical screening, drug preparation lists, drug production reports, and other drug use information.

A central distribution area and several satellite work areas including outpatient pharmacies support the delivery of product-related and clinical services to patients and health care providers of UMMC:

Pharmacy Locations

The University of Maryland Medical System has two outpatient pharmacies:

The Weinberg Pharmacy is located on the first floor of the Medical Center beside the elevators in the main lobby.Hours: Monday-Friday 7 am - 9 pm
Saturday and Sunday: 9 am - 4 pm
Phone: 410-328-5233

The University Pharmacy on Redwood Street is located in the Professional Building at 419 W. Redwood Street (two blocks from the hospital).

Satellite work areas operate each evening until 10:00 PM; however, Central Pharmacy is open 24 hours of every day per year.

Clinical pharmacy specialists and clinical pharmacists provide direct patient care throughout the institution. Many of these practitioners are active, integral members of medical service teams and assist the team by providing services including:

drug selection

pharmacokinetic assessment and drug dosing

drug information

patient medication counseling and education

other patient-focused services to optimize drug therapy outcomes

All pharmacists provide patient and health care provider education; participate in Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) and Medication Error programs; and participate in investigational drug research, drug and therapeutic policy development and implementation, and other cost and quality enhancement programs and projects. Pharmacists' interventions are recorded and often documented in the medical record.

Types and Ages of Patients Served

The ages, sexual distribution, medical requirements, disease states, and general conditions of patients served by the Department of Pharmacy Services are the same as those of the general patient population served by UMMC.

Patient Care Providers

Direct patient care or pharmaceutical care is provided by all employees of the Department of Pharmacy Services. Listed below are the components that make up the Pharmaceutical Care Team:

Director of Pharmacy Services

Clinical Pharmacy Manager

Pharmacy Operations Managers and Process Coordinators

Clinical Pharmacists and Clinical Specialists

Pharmacy Technicians

Pharmacy Residents and Students

Inventory Control Specialists

Administrative Assistants

Technology Support Personnel

School of Pharmacy Faculty members

Pharmaceutical care includes, but is not limited to, appropriate, accurate, and timely dispensing of medications to patients. Regulations set by the Maryland State Board of Pharmacy and Federal Government govern these practices. Professional and ethical practice are maintained at all times through adherence to the department's, institution's, and profession's code of professional conduct.

Pharmacy work areas are staffed by:

clinical pharmacists/specialists

pharmacy operation managers

technicians

inventory control specialists

Staffing requirements are determined by known daily patterns of physician order generation and times when therapeutic decision making occurs (e.g. pharmacist rounds with the medical teams). Sudden changes in staffing requirements are accommodated by:

overtime

temporary hiring of supplemental staff

shifting staff and work among work areas

A staffing model is prepared annually to outline workload data, staffing patterns, and fiscal year budget information. Performance is tracked bi-weekly and discussed monthly in combination with quality, human resource, and financial data.

The General Pharmacy Practice and Critical Care Pharmacy Practice residencies are nationally accredited by the American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists (ASHP). Pharmacy residents are fully licensed practitioners and are trained by clinical pharmacy specialists and clinical pharmacists to provide proficient and compassionate direct patient care, to conduct research projects associated with the UMMC medication use process, and to educate patients, other health care providers, and students.

Click here for a full description of the department's residency program. Pharmacy students and residents may work with various medical service teams and patient populations. These interactions occur under the supervision and direction of clinical pharmacists/specialists who are residency preceptors and appointed clinical faculty members at the Maryland School of Pharmacy.

Extent to Which Care Meets Patient Care Needs

Patient care quality measures are reported to the Process Improvement Steering Committee (PISC). Among these are medication error and ADR trends, results of focused medication use evaluations, and results of drug-use and process improvement projects.

Recognized Standards

This department complies with the UMMC Hospital Policy Manual and all federal, state, and regulatory standards to guide practice. Additional patient care standards and clinical guidelines used are published in the UMMC Formulary.

Other standards of care used by the department include:

Therapeutic Guidelines for Medication Use developed and approved by the UMMC Therapeutics Committee